No Cold Weather? No Problem! Heat Up the Garden with these Fall Foliage Tips!
Is it too early to plan for fall color? Not if you live where it’s hot. Just because the typical “fall foliage” postcard features sugar maples flaming up and down a New England hillside doesn’t mean gardeners in warmer climes have to sit autumn out. In the south and west, warm-weather plants provide hot looks once temperatures “cool” down to 60 or 70 degrees at night. The catch is that for a big fall display you have to plan ahead and plant the “bones” during the spring. Here’s how to integrate the rich oranges, burgundys, browns, maroons, purples, and yellows of fall color into your landscape, starting with summer. In October, you’ll be glad you got started now. Here’s how.
Feature Foliage
Focal point foliage should always be the centerpiece of a long-lasting container garden. For a real “wow” factor at the entryway, start with Tropicanna® canna in the center or center back of a large (at least 18-24 inch diameter) container. Plants are hardy to zone 7 and produce masses of striped variegated leaves in shades of burgundy red, pink, yellow, gold, and deep green. When the sun shines through the leaves, they appear to glow—true show-stoppers. Tropicanna® cannas grow best in full sun and moderately moist to moist soil. Combine with other plants that require similar conditions.
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